Fresno County’s Pine Flat Lake

Setting up camp DIRECTIONS Pine Flat Lake is about five hours from Los Angeles. Take Interstate 5 north for 62 miles to California 99 north, for 113 miles. Take the Mendocino Avenue exit, turn right at 18th Avenue, left on Manning Avenue, right on Academy Avenue, right on 9th Street, left on L Street and right on 8th Street; keep left on Rainbow Avenue, turn right on California 180 (Kings Canyon Road), left on Trimmer Springs Road and right at Island Point Drive. (The route is a bit confusing to navigate and best done in the daytime.)COST Island Park tent and RV sites are $16 per night. You can reserve up to six months in advance. Cruising the Blossom Trail is free of charge, except for gas.AMENITIES The lake has boat ramps, marinas, RV and tent sites, an RV dump station and fish-cleaning stations. Island Park is on the northern shore of the lake and had clean restrooms with coin-operated showers. Camping at Island Park is civilized, with clean facilities and grassy campsites. Some are smaller and terraced into the hillsides. You park your car and walk up stairs to reach your site. Our favorite Island Park sites, which were spacious and afforded nice views of the lake, were Nos. 47 to 52.TO LEARN MORE Call (559) 787-2589. For reservations, call (877) 444-6777 or go to www.recreation.gov.On travel.latimes.com To see more of the beautiful Blossom Trail and environs, go to latimes.com/pineflatlake.